Retirement Home and senior Care in Kingston

01 Nov 18

Gary Paquin felt alive when he held a set of drumsticks.

Feeling the music pulse through his body, he played the drums with passion and pleasure. Like his father and brother, music was a large part of his life; tap a beat for the musicians around him and give the crowd a great show.

He played for years. Traveling from coast-to-coast with several recording artists in Canada.

But that all changed when a tick hiding in the fur of his cat returned home and infected him with Lyme Disease. Gary was only in his early-50s when illness stole his ability to play the drums.

Now, at 57 years old, he’s fighting for his life.

Wearing a leather jacket on a cold night in late October 2018, Gary talks softly about the challenges he has endured. He isn’t looking for pity, but he would appreciate help to finance a potentially life-saving medical treatment he wants more than anything, including the ability to play music again.

“The hardest part of this disease is getting help,” says Gary who lives in South Frontenac Township.

Struggling to diagnose the condition that was stealing Gary’s motor function, doctors prescribed a variety of medication that in the end were ineffective.

Finally, after 1.5 years of suffering, Gary spent $600 on a test in the United States to confirm Lyme Disease.

“There is a real problem within Canada,” he says thoughtfully. “Many doctors do not have a solid understanding of the disease and the doctors who do can lose their license for treating chronic Lyme, along with Ontario's flawed testing.”

With precious time lost, Gary returned to Canada to treat the disease that was creating havoc in a body already compromised by Type 1 Diabetes.

Dependent on insulin since he was nine years old, Gary’s immune system was powerless to fight the bacteria invading his cells.

“It’s a little bit complicated,” he says with a small smile when asked about his management and control of diabetes. “With the other conditions, I have a pretty good hold on that.”